1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to dinnerware and, in particular, to bowl and basin type dinnerware used for segregated confinement of dry cereal from liquids, such as milk, that are used for moistening the cereal. The invention is noteworthy in that this type of cereal bowl has, as its predominant quality, the ability to maintain dry breakfast cereal in a fresh, crisp state until just before immersion in the moistening fluid so that subsequent portionwise consumption will not render remaining cereal portions soggy and unpalatable.
2. Disclosure of Relevant Art
A compartment plate or platter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,595,356, issued on Aug. 10, 1926. The patent teaches a multi-compartmented tray, plate or platter, in which various foods, generally of a solid or amorphous nature, are placed into the separate compartments which serve to segregate the foods precedent to consumption. Within the array of sections or compartments, there is disclosed a solitary compartment, circular in shape, and shallower than the remaining compartments. Patent '356 describes this compartment only as a "a circular commodity receiving space". This space occupies less than 1/10 of the volume of the entire tray and, therefore, could not conceivably serve as a liquid reservoir when one considers that the average consumer of one ounce of dry cereal uses approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid (generally milk). The use of the '356 tray in the manner to be disclosed hereinafter, is simply too tedious.
Yet another disclosure of a bowl device having therein an integral partition means, is U.S. Pat. No. 759,696, issued on May 10, 1904. Although disclosing primarily a wash hand basin, '696 teaches a deep basin segmented by a lower-than-the-rim partition means into two minor basins. The bottoms of the minor basins are arcuate in shape to facilitate a two-handed scooping motion from the outer sides (interior bowl rim) of the minor basin, down towards the arcuate bottoms and up along the partition until the user's hands join at the edges of the palms in a cupping motion. Thus, the teaching of '696 is of a symmetrically partitioned basin which facilitates the use of one's hands in cupping water from the basin and drawing it towards the user (seemingly, the user's face). The symmetrical design of this basin is not suitable for my purposes. First, it is not convenient to pass one of the minor basin's contents to the other minor basin. In the movement of dry contents (cereal) to the liquid, one would be relegated to transferring it up and over the partition, one spoonful at time. Also, '696 teaches a spout along one portion of the bowl rim coextensive the center line of the partition. The purpose of the spout is, of course, to facilitate emptying the basin. Such a device in my invention would be nonutilitarian and too costly to incorporate. Furthermore, I have designed means by which the user of my invention might readily "spoon up" the remaining liquid in the bowl without resorting to the need for lifting the bowl to his or her lips. Such a facility is extremely functional when one considers that my bowl would find great use in restaurants or in public eating places. Oftentimes, milk is allowed to remain and be discarded (in restaurants) simply because the consumer does not wish to consume the remaining contents of cereal and milk as is done in the privacy of one's own home.
An eviscerating and inspection pan disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,535 comes the closest to a partitioned device having some of the nominal features that I have conceived of for my partitioned cereal bowl. The pan or tray of '535 comprises two sections, one for holding a fowl and the other, contiguous with the first, for receiving the entrails of the fowl as it is eviscerated. However, my requirements cannot reasonably be satisfied by such a device and conforming it to my needs would destroy its fitness for its designed purpose.
After an exhaustive study of current catalogues and department store wares, and an additional search in the United States Patent Office, I have concluded that a device such as my instant creation does not reasonably exist. Conformance of existing cereal bowls to my requirements could not reasonably be accomplished by the consumer and the use of existing art forms to accomplish my purpose of maintaining crisp cereal in an unmoistened mode just prior to consumption, likewise cannot be done.